2018: On the Monday after Thanksgiving, General Motors workers in the U.S. and Canada learned of the company's announcement that it would be idling five plants and cutting around 14,000 jobs. In this urgent, multi-episode series, we will be talking to workers at plants in Ohio, Michigan, and Canada. In the fourth and final part of this series, we speak with activists, workers, scholars, and writers to get a range of perspectives on the GM layoffs, the plight of workers in the U.S. and beyond, and what we need to do--all of us--to collectively fight back against exploitation and to build a better world.
Guests: Will Bunch, Sherry Linkon, Dnitra Landon, Abdul El-Sayed, Herman Rosenfeld, Cynthia Thornton
We are sending a huge, heartfelt thanks to all the workers, organizers, and activists who helped us put this series together. Special thanks to: Steve Maher, Cheryl J, and Kyle Minton.
Additional links/info below...
- Neal E. Boudette, New York Times, "G.M. to Idle Plants and Cut Thousands of Jobs as Sales Slow"
- CBS News, "GM Layoff Announcement Sparks Outrage - and Stock Increase"
- Leyland Cecco & Mike Elk, The Guardian, "'No Jobs on the Horizon': Workers Respond to General Motors' Decision to Close Plant"
- Ron Jacobs, CounterPunch, "The Legacy of Lordstown"
- Will Bunch, The Inquirer, "In 1970s, Workers at this GM Plant Tried to Reinvent the American Dream. Instead, They Watched It Fade Away"
- Sherry Linkon & John Russo, CityLab, "With GM Job Cuts, Youngstown Faces a New 'Black Monday'"
- Sam Gindin, The Bullet, "The Auto Crisis: Placing Our Own Alternative on the Table"
- Kim Scipes (ed), Building Global Labor Solidarity in a Time of Accelerating Globalization
- Leslie Barrett, WFMJ, "'Drive It Home' Campaign Continuing to Help Save GM Lordstown Plant"
- Good Jobs Nation website
- #Shame Campaign website
- Southpaw Michigan website
Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)
- Lobo Loco, "Malte Junior - Hall"
- Menhirs of Er Grah, "Some Days"
- Marissa Anderson, "Cloud Corner"
- Cletus Got Shot, "Work These Hands"
- Tan Low, "Road Song"
- Rachel Mason, "Rebel Angels"
- Scott Holmes, "Together We Stand"